Portillo’s Looking for Vice President of Supply Chain at Oak Brook, IL Full Time

The Vice President of Supply Chain is a key leader within the Portillo’s organization. This leadership role is responsible for leading the supply chain operations of the organization, food safety, and quality assurance. The role involves strategic planning, coordination, and optimization of all activities related to the sourcing, procurement, production at Portillo’s Food Service (PFS), logistics, and distribution of goods and services. This growth-oriented executive works cross-functionally with our restaurants, other internal stakeholders, and external vendors to establish scalable processes.

Core Responsibilities

Enable our Purpose to create lifelong memories by igniting the senses with unrivaled food and experiences:

Family: Work together to make everyone feel at home, and we step up when someone needs help

• Develop and articulate a comprehensive supply chain, food safety, production/PFS strategy aligned with the company’s long-term goals, identifying opportunities for operational excellence, cost optimization, and risk mitigation.
• Collaborate closely with executive leadership, including the CEO and CFO, to align supply chain objectives with overall business strategies and financial goals.
• Build strategic partnerships with key suppliers and external stakeholders to drive innovation, mitigate risks, and optimize value across the supply chain network.
• Partner with key internal teams (strategy, marketing, operations) on new products, product improvement and packaging initiatives.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to streamline end-to-end supply chain processes, enhance visibility and collaboration across the organization, and drive sustainable business growth.
• Establish strategy for respective functions relating to new restaurant openings.

Greatness: We’re obsessed with being the best and work hard to continuously improve. Our greatness is rooted in Quality, Service, Attitude and Cleanliness

• Lead the procurement of food, beverage and packaging products, insuring lowest total cost, quality that meets specifications, delivery according to requirements, and payment terms that maximize cash flow.
• Develop a centralized indirect procurement function within the organization.
• Strategic management of supplier performance and future organizational needs to assess the ability to meet quality and volume requirements.
• Provide thought leadership on our current production (PFS) and distribution strategies and what the company needs in the future to support the company’s growth.
• Oversee all aspects of food safety within our restaurants, PFS, and within our supplier base.
• Lead our supply chain teams (procurement, distribution/logistics, restaurant support, food safety/quality assurance, PFS) and provide thought leadership on strategic direction, team structure, systems and processes.

Energy: We move with urgency and passion, while maintaining attention to detail

• Deliver and manage the financial aspects of the supply chain operations, which includes P&L responsibility, capital project assessment and management, periodic forecasts, and annual budgets.
• Drive change management initiatives to ensure successful implementation of new supply chain strategies, systems, and processes, fostering a culture of adaptability and resilience.
• Develop SOPs to include RFP/bid process, scorecards (e.g. supplier), etc.
• Lead contract process and ensure execution of supply chain agreements.

Fun: We entertain our guests, we connect authentically, and we make each other smile

• Explore emerging technologies and industry trends to identify opportunities for process optimization, automation, and digital transformation within the function.
• Champion a culture of innovation within the organization, fostering creativity and continuous improvement to drive efficiency gains and competitive advantage.
• Enable an engaged and high-performing team resulting in the ability to attract, retain, and develop top talent, fostering a culture of learning, growth, and diversity.
• Mentor and coach leaders to cultivate leadership capabilities and functional expertise, empowering them to drive impactful results and advance their careers within the organization.

ORGANIZATION RELATIONSHIPS

This position reports to the Chief Financial Officer and leads the teams responsible for strategic sourcing, distribution/logistics, restaurant support, food safety and quality assurance, and our two plant operations under PFS.

Qualifications

Educational Level/Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, logistics, business or related field
• 15-20 years of progressive experience in supply chain management

Work Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Multi-unit experience (e.g. restaurant, retail, hospitality)
• Builds relationships with others, establishes connections to build trust and share ideas
• Develops people by helping others to become more effective through strengths, expectations, encouragement, and coaching
• Leads changes and recognizes change is essential. Sets goals for change and aligns work with a stated vision.
• Inspires others through vision, confidence, challenge, and recognition
• Thinks critically by seeking information, evaluating that information, and applying knowledge to solve problems
• Communicates clearly by concisely sharing information and purpose; listens and open to opinions
• Must possess a “hands-on” style, while still being able to delegate authority as appropriate
• Demonstrate a track record of aligning supply chain strategies with overall business objectives, driving cost efficiencies, and optimizing operational performance
• Adept at resolving complex supply chain challenges and implementing scalable process improvements
• Excellent interpersonal skills are critical for collaborating with stakeholders and negotiating with suppliers, strong influencing skills
• Commitment to continuous improvement and learning

Travel Requirement

• Travel required for restaurant and supplier visits (25%)

Disclaimers

DISCLAIMER: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by incumbents assigned to this job. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the responsibilities, duties and skills required. The incumbent may be expected to perform other duties as assigned. This job may be reviewed as duties and responsibilities change with business necessity.